News

For the third year in a row, the state has added an exception to the uncapping rule. The usual rule is that when title to real property changes hands, the “taxable value” is uncapped, increasing to match the “assessed value”, sometimes greatly increasing property taxes for a property. Between such transfers, the TV can only […]

Most people, whether or not they have done estate planning, are aware of how beneficiary designations work. After all, beneficiary designations can be used on bank accounts, life insurance policies, retirement accounts, and many other types of financial and investment assets to automatically transfer those assets on death. However, I have found that very few

Families that help a loved one apply for Medicaid benefits aren’t usually aware of the existence of a manual containing Medicaid eligibility rules. The Bridge’s Eligibility Manual contains pages and pages of policy that impact a person filing for Medicaid. When talking about Medicaid benefits for older persons, an October 1, 2015 update impacts persons

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which was signed into law on November 2, 2015, has a provision in Subtitle C, Section 831, which is designed to “close unintended loopholes”. One of those “loopholes” is called “File and Suspend”. This technique currently allows the spouse of a person who has reached Full Retirement Age (FRA),

The next article in this Medicaid Series will highlight the main rules for nursing home Medicaid and the MI Choice Waiver program. A person interested in filing for Medicaid benefits must pass two tests. The first is the income test and the second is the asset test. The income test for someone interested in MI

Sometimes one who wants to buy real property cannot get financing from a bank or mortgage company. And the seller figures it can finance the deal for the buyer in order to get a sale and earn some interest too. In Michigan seller financing often is by a land contract but could instead be by

We love our lakes. A few of us are fortunate enough to own a lakefront cottage. And millions rely on state, county, and local parks. But many of us who can’t afford our own lakefront cottage but live near the water treasure a nearby “road-end”. These roads that were laid out all the way to

When I grew up on the north side of Holland, my school for four years of my life was Beechwood school. Beechwood was a pretty old school. In fact, at one time, my mother even attended Beechwood. However, Beechwood no longer exists. Instead it is an open space/parking lot owned by Pfizer. Pfizer is the

A decade or so ago, before Michigan’s “one state recession” and the more recent depression, the State “streamlined” the process for local units of government to take real property if the owner did not pay property taxes. Finally, the State has followed with an installment plan arrangement to help qualifying owners keep their property. The

Families with a disabled minor child are usually vigilant about setting up a plan that will care for and protect the special needs of their child. These families understand the value of setting up a special needs trust that will receive the child’s inheritance upon the parents passing. But special planning is also appropriate for